June 2009

Impress your guests or wow your hostess with the ultimate 4th of July centerpiece – a fresh flower flag!

How To Make A Fresh Flower Flag

This flag can be made in many different sizes.

Choose a container that has a lip of at least one inch all around. Line the container with floral foam, cutting the foam to fit. Tape the foam into the tray using clear waterproof tape. If you plan to only use your floral flag as a flat centerpiece then taping isn’t necessary. Soak the floral foam thoroughly using regular tap water before inserting flowers.

I used red and white standard carnations and blue statice. Other options would be white poms, mini carnations, or roses. To fill the galvanized tray that I chose, it required:

3 dozen white carnation

4 dozen red carnations

10 stems blue statice

I used clear crystal bouquet jewels to create the stars.

Creating the flag:

Cut the stems of your flowers slightly shorter than the height of the lip of your tray.

Use a knife to mark off the area in the foam that will be the blue area of the flag.

Fill in the marked area with your blue statice.

Starting with the top row, place your red flowers into the floral foam. Be sure to insert the cut stems directly into the floral foam with the flower straight up.

Alternate rows of red and white flowers, ending with a red row.

Your floral flag is now ready to display. Add water on a daily basis and your flag will stay fresh for at least a week!

When decorating for the 4th of July, a red, white, and blue theme is a “no-brainer”! Take your patriotism a step further and use vases and flowers that are all made right here in the good ol’ US of A. I’ve chosen a set of my favorite hobnail milk glass vases, which are designed and manufactured by the Fenton Company. Fenton is a family owned business that has been making vases and decorative items in the United States for generations.

I kept the arrangements simple, using single varieties of flowers that were grown in California. I chose blue delphnium for the tall vase and red roses for the short one. The look is retro, reminding us all of a time in America when things were simpler and almost everything we owned was made right here at home.

Back in Victorian times a Tea Party was the equivalent of today’s “Girl’s Night Out” – although back then it was a traditional afternoon event! It was the ladies chance to get together and do what we do best – get dressed up and talk, talk, talk! It was also an opportunity for a host to impress friends by creating the most beautiful environment and serving sweet and delicious treats. Using the best china, linens and having lots of fresh flowers were a must!

The Victorian Tea Party theme works great for any bridal or baby shower. Starting with the invitations, ask your guests to dress accordingly (including a beautiful hat!) There are many websites where you can find tea party ideas, games, and recipes. Here are some ideas for incorporating flowers into the day. Personally, I think that the flowers really bring it all together!

Don’t worry about being matchy-matchy. Mix the flowers with old and new tableware in various patterns – this will allow you to create your own look. If you are able to visit a flea market or garage sale, look out for old silver trays, tea pots and tea cups. Don’t be afraid to mix and match tea cups too. Straw hats can also be incorporated into your tablescape for a fresh look.

The flower arrangements should be lush and have an “unarranged” feeling to them. Mix roses with other garden-variety flowers such as hydrangea, tweedia and black-eyed Susan’s.

Any piece from the Old Country Roses collection from Royal Albert would be a perfect addition to the setting. Fill it with fragrant fresh flowers and you just can’t go wrong!

Here’s a cute idea to use as a place setting. Fill individual tea cups with fresh flowers and have a “tea bag” label flowing from the flowers with each guest’s name on it. These precious petite arrangements can double as party favors. Just have small shopping bags ready for each guest to place their tea cup bouquet in when the party is over.